Party holidays are supposed to be about having fun, not spending half the week checking your bank balance.
That’s one of the biggest reasons an all-inclusive party holiday can be such a good option. Your flights, accommodation, meals and drinks are usually bundled into the price, leaving you with fewer everyday holiday expenses to think about.
If your ideal break involves sunshine during the day and plenty happening after dark, here are some of the biggest benefits of choosing all-inclusive.
1. You know much more of the cost before you leave
Budgeting for a party holiday can be tricky.
The original package might look cheap, but then you need breakfast. Then lunch. Then dinner. Then drinks by the pool. Then drinks before you go out. Before long, that bargain holiday isn’t looking quite so cheap.
With all-inclusive, many of those costs are already covered.
You’ll still want spending money for things such as clubs, excursions, taxis and nights away from the hotel, but you can arrive knowing that many of your basic costs have already been paid.
For groups of friends travelling on different budgets, that can be particularly useful.
2. Drinks at the hotel are usually included
This is an obvious one for a party holiday.
Instead of paying for every drink individually, your package will normally include a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at the hotel during specified hours.
That can make the hotel a convenient place to meet before heading into town.
You can spend the afternoon around the pool, head back to your room to get ready and meet everyone downstairs later without immediately starting another round of spending.
Just check exactly what your particular hotel includes, as drinks policies, brands and serving times can vary considerably.
3. Pool days become incredibly easy
Had a late night?
Tomorrow doesn’t need to involve sightseeing.
One of the joys of an all-inclusive party holiday is having everything you need for a lazy recovery day within easy reach.
Find a sunbed, grab some breakfast, spend a few hours beside the pool, get some lunch and enjoy a drink without having to decide where you’re going or how much you’re going to spend.
Then you can head upstairs, get ready and do it all again.
It’s hardly complicated — and that’s rather the point.
4. You don’t have to eat out three times a day
Eating out is part of the fun of going abroad, and we’d never suggest spending an entire holiday refusing to leave your hotel restaurant.
But do you really want to find and pay for a restaurant every single time you’re hungry?
All-inclusive gives you a base.
Breakfast is sorted. Lunch is sorted. Dinner is sorted.
If you spot an amazing restaurant or fancy eating somewhere different one evening, you still can. The difference is that you don’t have to.
5. It can be brilliant for groups
Organising a holiday with friends can become surprisingly complicated once money gets involved.
One person wants an expensive restaurant. Someone else is trying to save money. Another has already spent half their budget by day three.
All-inclusive doesn’t remove every money disagreement, but it gives everyone a common baseline.
Food, drinks and accommodation are already covered, so everyone can decide individually how much extra they want to spend on nights out, activities and excursions.
6. You can mix resort life with nightlife
Choosing a party destination doesn’t necessarily mean you want to spend every waking moment partying.
Sometimes you want both.
An all-inclusive hotel can give you a comfortable base with a pool, restaurants, bars and entertainment while still putting you within easy reach of the main nightlife.
That combination can work particularly well in destinations such as Ibiza, Majorca, Zante, Ayia Napa and other established party resorts.
The important thing is choosing your location carefully. An amazing all-inclusive hotel isn’t much use for a nightlife holiday if you’re a long taxi ride from the bars and clubs you actually came to experience.
7. There can be entertainment before you head out
Depending on the resort, your hotel may have its own entertainment programme.
That could include DJs, live music, pool parties, games, themed evenings or performances.
You don’t necessarily need to spend every evening there, but hotel entertainment can fill that slightly awkward period between dinner and heading into town.
And occasionally, everyone ends up having such a good time at the hotel that the planned night out never actually happens.
8. You can choose how much partying you actually want
Not every party holiday needs to be seven consecutive nights of clubs until sunrise.
Some people want that.
Others want a couple of big nights mixed with beach days, cocktails, restaurants and evenings around the resort.
All-inclusive gives you flexibility because the hotel itself is part of the holiday rather than simply somewhere to sleep.
If you decide you don’t fancy going out one evening, you’ve still got food, drinks and potentially entertainment available without needing to organise anything else.
9. Last-minute changes of plan don’t matter as much
Anyone who has travelled with a group knows the routine.
“We’re going out at eight.”
Eight becomes nine.
Someone is still in the shower.
Someone else has disappeared.
Nobody can decide where to eat.
With all-inclusive, at least some of those decisions disappear. You can eat at the hotel, have a drink and work out the rest afterwards.
Sometimes making a holiday easier is every bit as valuable as making it cheaper.
10. It can offer surprisingly good value
All-inclusive isn’t automatically the cheapest way to travel.
But that’s not really the right comparison.
The important question is what you would have spent otherwise.
Compare the complete cost of accommodation, meals, drinks and snacks with the price of the all-inclusive package. If you’re likely to use what’s included, paying more upfront could mean spending considerably less once you’re actually away.
That’s especially relevant in popular nightlife destinations where eating and drinking out every day can quickly eat into your budget.
Are all-inclusive party holidays worth it?
For the right traveller, absolutely.
They’re particularly appealing if you want to know most of your holiday costs upfront, enjoy lazy days around the pool and have the freedom to experience the local nightlife when you feel like it.
The trick is finding the right hotel in the right location.
Look beyond the words “all-inclusive” and check what’s actually included, where the hotel is situated, how far it is from the nightlife and what sort of atmosphere previous guests describe.
Get those things right and you can have the best of both worlds: an easy all-inclusive holiday during the day and a proper party destination waiting outside when you’re ready for the night to begin.
